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Monday, March 31, 2008

Candidates are starting to line up for the County Executive and County Comptroller positions that will be on the ballot this November. It really should be interesting this year. A recent Blaber News poll showed that among the Dems, Hein is the strongest candidate. However, in a three way race he suffers the same fate as Mr. Sennett in the general election. The Comptroller race is up for grabs. A lot of rumblings but no announced candidate for the job thus far. See our current poll for more details.

Below is a list of people that have been rumored to of been interested for the two top county spots.

County Executive :full disclosure : I am supporting Mike Hein for County Exec

Mike Hein (announced)

Pr0 : Is currently doing the job now and has an extremely impressive track record of cutting wasteful spending.

Con : New to the political scene

Sue Zimet ( all but has announced)

pro- Has already proved elect-ability county wide

Con- Will have trouble uniting the County

David Donaldson

Pro- Currently is the executive of Ulster County

Con - will have a difficult time campaigning county wide.

William Berardi (announced)

Pro - Extremely well educated individual with strong ties to the community.

Con - A harsh critic to the point where he turns people off.

County Comptroller :

Kingston Majority Leader Bill Reynolds (front runner)

Pro : Chair of the Kingston Finance Committee, has worked to develop multi-million dollar municipal budgets as a Kingston Alderman for the past 17 years. Currently works for the NYS Comptroller's office

Con -- None I can think of.

Eliot Auerbach

Pro- Do not know enough about the individual

Con - Do not know enough about the individual

Another candidate that would change the dynamic of this race may run but it's to soon to even float the idea out there.

Sunday, March 30, 2008

Rich Cahill today ripped in to GOP party boss Jean Jacobs on his blog. In a post on his blog about Anne Marie DiBella he wrote this :

"She [Anne Marie] needs to be beaten in 2009. Hopefully, my party can come with a real candidate this time and not just run Jean Jacobs again. "

It's clear the former Mayoral candidate is saying that Ms. Jacobs is not a real candidate. That's pretty harsh criticism and it's highly unusual for Rich Cahill to attack his party's leader. Which brings validity to the rumors going around that Cahill is looking to challenge Jean Jacobs for the Chairmanship in June.

Dr. Jon R. Cohen, who sought the lieutenant governor nomination only to back out when it was headed to David Paterson, was tapped by Paterson last week to serve as his senior advisor.

Before Governor Spitzer had picked David Patterson to run as Lt. Governor, I backed and worked for Dr. Cohen in his short bid for the job. I think Dr.Cohen will do an excellent job as Governor Paterson's senior advisor. He's a really great guy that has a tremendous amount of energy and compassion for New York.

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Ward 1- As far as I am concerned the seat is vacant. Their elected representitive is missing in action.Overall Rating = F

Ward 2 Alderwoman Ringwood - Jennifer has done a tremedous job fighting for the quality life issues of the 2nd Ward and beyond. Ringwood's latest iniciative to ban smoking on City Property is right on target. Also her willingness to comprimise and work with members across the aisle is refreshing. I am very sorry to see her leave.

Overall Rating = A

Ward 3 Alderman Landi- Alderman Landi has been pretty quite his first few months but I am impressed with what I have observed thus far. I do disagree with his vote against transart. Like him or hate him he knows his stuff and is an effective Alderman

Overall Rating = B

Ward 4 Alderwoman Whitlock - The clouds have been lifted in the trobled fouth ward and replaced with sunshine and an active Alderwoman that cares about the issues that matter in the ward and puts in the time to make sure they are addressed. The 4th ward could not ask for a better representitve than that of Alderwoman WhitlockOverall Rating = A

Ward 5 Alderwoman DiBella - As hard as it admit this, Anne Marie is an effective lawmaker. In large part to Anne Marie's leadership, the county no longer houses Kingston's homeless at the King's Inn like animals. Anne Marie has also supported important initiatives such as the smoking ban. DiBella's vote in favor of granting Trans Art's extension with the City t speaks volumes. Even though she was against the transfer originally, her vote shows the ability to see the big picture in restoring a city eye sore.

Overall Rating = A

Ward 6 Alderman Polacco - Ron has had an impressive first start. He clearly is head and shoulders above his Republican colleague. Polacco who is in his first term, is not having any trouble adjusting to the job and seems to know what he is doing. I do however disagree with his votes not to fund the police and fire department budgets for 2008.

Overall Rating = B

Ward 7- Majority Leader Reynolds - Bill is far beyond his office and is being held back as Kingston's Seventh Ward Alderman. Don't get me wrong, there is no one better to represent the Ward but our County and State could use him more.

Overall Rating= A+

Ward8 Alderman Senor - Like Landi, Senor knows the job and has been doing it long enough to know when to pick and choose his battles. Why he would throw himself out to the wolves by picking a fight with CSEA over personal cell phone use is beyond me. The City has more important issues to deal with.

Overall Rating= A

Ward 9 Alderman Madsen - I saw Alderman Madsen raking leaves on city owned property the other day, the next day he was picking up trash. Madsen continues to tirelessly work by example by taking pride in his ward and community. I also like the fact that Madsen has started a program on kpa tv and a blog to better interact with residents of the ninth ward.

The day after major Hillary Clinton fund-raisers sent a letter to Nancy Pelosi about the role of superdelegates in the nominating process (as in, please stop taking the Obama campaign's position on it), two Hillary Clinton supporters from New Jersey are circulating a petition, addressed to Howard Dean, asking that Florida and Michigan delegates be reinstated "immediately."

"If they are not reinstated by early April," the petition says, "we ask the Democratic National Committee to show cause why they should not be reinstated and establish a mandate for two full revote primaries for June."

Thursday, March 27, 2008

I went to the press conference today and was completely unimpressed. There was a six foot long table set up of thousands of pages of jury deliberation that will never be made public. The D.A. said here is our extensive work it's all here, we paid 10 thousand to print this alone but you (the taxpaying public) will never see their findings.

The investigation, which to be fair started way before Holley Carnright took office, was a farce. A 20 million dollar over budgeted jail fiasco, hundreds of thousands to investigate the misuse of funds and the result : Harvey Sleight, the buildings and grounds supervisor, was indicted on a misdemeanor. Now I clearly think Mr. Sleight was in over his head and the charge is probably a legitimate one. However, Mr.Sleight did not go to the bathroom without permision from the legislative Chairman. It is very clear this guy is being thrown out to the wolves.

BREAKING NEWS : D.A. Holley Carnright will hold a press conference today at 11am to announce grand jury findings on the Ulster County Law Enforcement Center.

The jail and sheriff’s administrative office building was years late and millions over budget when it was finally opened last year.

I hear conflicting reports, some say an indictment 0r indictment(s) will be handed out, others have told me that no criminal charges will be found...I hope that is not the case. We'll see tomorrow. This is really the first time all eyes will be on our new district attorney...let's see how he does.

Laurette Giardino, who ran unsuccessfully for East Fishkill town clerk last fall, on Monday announced she will challenge Republican state Assemblyman Marc Molinaro for the 103rd District seat in November.

Although, Marc and I are of different parties, he is an excellent public servant and he has my full support for reelection. The New York State Assembly is lucky to have a leader like Assemblyman Molinaro.

I got a call from the Poughkeepsie Journal today and I was asked to remove my campaign buttons from the blog. As you all know, this blog is advertised on the Journal and they can't seem as if they are providing my campaign with preferential treatment. I agree and I am setting up a separate website for my school board campaign. Updates to follow.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Friday, March 21, 2008

Micheal Hein, Democratic candidate for County Executive has launched his campaign website today. It can be viewed at www.heinforexec.com, bookmark it and check back often for updates. A link to the site has also been added to my links section below.

The Laws and Rules Committee approved the revised smoking ban last night. The committee has unanimously recommended that smoking be banned from within 50 feet of municipal building entrances and in playgrounds, bleachers, pavilions, gazebos, at Kingston Point Beach, the Forsyth Park Nature Center, and at the Andretta Pool at Dietz Stadium. There will be a $100 fine for those in violation.

The laws and rules committee headed by Alderwoman Anne Marie DiBella has made the right decision in backing Ringwood's proposal. While I think this legislation does not go far enough it's a good start and a fair compromise. I'm confident that the full council will approve the ban into law in April.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Over 30 people showed up tonight at my campaign kick-off for the Kingston School Board. It was a great time and I thank everyone who showed up as well as Shawn from the Reservoir Inn for having us. I talked tonight about my ideas for the future of the district and I feel very good about how things are progressing. I didn't have a camera so Alderman Madsen took a few pictures and e-mailed them to me....sorry I don't have more.

Jeremy talks with (from left) Under Sheriff Frank Falutico, County Administrator Mike Hein and the Gillons

Jeremy with the SennettsA picture of the crowdUlster County Legislator Susan Zimet (left) and Shannon Schreibman (right)

Today we begin the Patterson administration. Governor Spitzer's tenure ends disappointingly to say the least, a man elected with a mandate to clean up Albany is taken down by a scandal he could not overcome. To be fair, putting the prostitution thing aside, Eliot was doomed on day one, the poor guy never stood a chance. Albany insiders including members of his own party fought him tooth and nail on every bit of reform...in the end the dirty politics of Albany were no match even for the f'ing steamroller. Albany chewed him up and spit him out after only a year in office.

Governor Paterson will have a different approach, he knows how the game is played and is a veteran of the system. Not to say he won't be a reformer, I just think that he knows how to approach reform in a more diplomatic way.

One thing to look forward under Paterson is that he will mover New York in a more progressive manner. Patterson's predecessor was a moderate Democrat that even supported things that were directly against Democratic values such as the death penalty.

Governor Paterson is :

* Pro- Choice

* Against the Death Penalty

* Favors Universal single payer Health Care

* Equal Rights for Same Sex Couples

* Everyone living in NY having the right to vote

* Opposed the Iraq War

I look forward to the Paterson administration and hope that members of the legislature will work with our Governor and that are new Governor will work with the legislature. Governor Paterson is now the leader of New York state and will be looked upon to move business forward and to start the healing process. I wish him the best of luck.

* Student Safety - Every student deserves to learn in a safe and friendly environment. Now more than ever we must focus on making all of our school a safe place to learn. The safety of every student in the district will be a top priority.

* Advanced Civics Program - An advanced high school civics program will give students a look at their local government first hand. Students will work directly with their local officials on a county, city or town level. I also would like to have students involved with their school board.

* Property Tax Reform- Too many hard working families can't afford the way schools are funded through property taxes. Many seniors are property-rich and income-poor. Taxpayers are being taxed out of their homes where they have lived their entire lives, and raised their families. As your school board Representative I will fight tirelessly to find alternative ways to fund public education.

* Closing the Kingston High School- To insure the safety of all students we must do away with the open high school campus on Broadway. When elected I will work with Superintendent Gretzinger to work out a way to make it a closed campus. The concerns for local business owners must be addressed as well. I will give invite restaurateurs access to the cafeteria in the high school to sell lunch on premises.

* The Carnegie Library - I am pleased to hear that the district is finally in the process of restoring this great building. I will take an active role in its restoration. We all know what can happen when a building is restored- KingstonCity Hall is prime example of this. We also know what can happen to buildings we just throw away, like the old Central post office. I will NOT let what happened to the old Central post office happen to the Carnegie library.

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Joe Ruggiero former Supervisor of the Town of Wappinger's and current Democratic Chairman of Dutchess County,has decided not to seek reelection as chair. Mr. Ruggiero announced that he will instead be accepting a job in state government. The position will be made public in a few days. Mr. Ruggiero came very close to becoming County Executive last year, narrowly losing to Republican Bill Steinhouse.

I have always been thoroughly impressed with Mr. Ruggiero and I'm confident that he will do well in his new role in state government, whatever that role may be. More details as they develop.

Alderman Ringwood announced today a compromise to her smoking ban that she has worked on with fellow Alderman Robert Senor. The new ban would prohibit people from smoking within 50 feet of playgrounds, pavilions and Kingston Point Beach. It would also ban smoking within 50 feet of all municipal building entrances.

This is a fair compromise and frankly a no brainier. The Common Council has a responsibility to their constituents to pass this legislation as soon as possible. As a candidate for the Kingston School Board, I personally am happy to see this legislation being moved forward. A lot of children in the Kingston School District use our city parks and should not subjected to the danger of second hand smoke.

Kingston's laws and rules committee will meet next week to discuss this further.

The unfortunate circumstances that bring us to this historic moment cannot be allowed to hinder our ability to move New York forward. Our constitutional processes have been set in motion. I am confident that Governor Paterson possesses the wisdom, experience and temperament necessary to lead New York State. I am eager to begin working with the new Executive and the members of his administration and offer my full support.

Governor Eliot Spitzer resigned today as Governor of New York effective Monday, March 17th. Spitzer expressed disappointment to his family and New York, he said he will look back at his tenure as Governor as "what could have been."

Lt. Governor David Patterson will be sworn in on Monday morning as the state's first African American Governor. I'll have more information on Lt.Governor Patterson later....I think he's going to do a great job.

While the last two days have focused on a sad and disappointing day for New York State, I thought it would be appropriate to talk about a new public integrity initiative started by our new rising star in state government, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo.

Project Sunlight is an effort by Andy Cumo's office to promote your right to know and to monitor governmental decision-making. This website - the first of its kind in New York - allows you to easily access statewide government information that until now has been scattered and difficult to retrieve.

The website includes information on all of your state representatives, registered lobbyists, and a detailed member item map. This is a great step forward in transparency for New York state government. Attorney General Cuomo has consistently stepped up to the plate for the benefit of NYers since taking office a little over a year ago.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

I just got off the phone with Senator John Bonacic and we had a very insightful conversation about the current state of affairs surrounding the Spitzer scandal. I thank Senator Bonacic for taking time to speak with me.

Senator Bonacic referred to the Spitzer situation that today is a sad day for New York State and said it couldn't of happened at a worse time. "It's not a Democratic or Republican issue said Bonacic, we're in the middle of a budget cycle and state government has to continue to move forward." Senator Bonacic expressed his sorrow for the Governor's family, I know Silda and have met his children and I had a great relationship with them.

Senator Bonacic also talked about possible criminal charges the Governor may face. "As a former prosecutor, I know the law and I know what Governor Spitzer is facing, they have him on wiretaps and he has admitted wrong doing. By transporting this woman across state lines he violated the Mann act, which is a felony. I would think right now Governor Spitzer is trying to work out a plea bargain to keep his law license said Bonacic."

While Senator Bonacic was quick to point out the many enemies that Spitzer has made over the years by being what he called a "lightning bolt", he did not feel that the Governor was targeted in any way.

Senator Bonacic feels that the Governor should resign his position. "I just do not see a scenario where Governor Spitzer could continue to lead."

Under Senate rules, if Gov. Spitzer resigns Lt. Governor David Patterson would automatically be elevated to Governor and the Lt. Governor's seat would remain vacant. Joe Bruno, the Majority Leader of the senate will become acting Lt. Governor.

Senator Bonacic described the relationship with Lt. Governor David Patterson and the GOP controlled Senate as cordial and thought that the tone of the government would improve under a Governor David Patterson.

Monday, March 10, 2008

In 2006, I was ready to vote in my first gubernatorial election the majority of Democrats were backing Spitzer and I liked what he had to say but wanted to make up my own mind and initially and privately backed Tom Suozzi, a Nassau County Executive that was running against the then AG in a Democratic primary. However, in the primary I ended up voting for Eliot Spitzer after going to a NY1 debate and being thoroughly impressed with Spitzer's way of speaking and his plan for the future of NY. His vision for the future inspired me and made me proud to be a NYer and I knew that this was the man that I wanted to lead this great state.

I still feel that Governor Spitzer is the man to lead NY. This afternoon I called a friend, mentor and fellow Democrat who said Spitzer had to go, " if this was Bonacic or any other Republican we would be looking at ways to make this worse", I knew this person was right but I still remember the guy that a little more then a year ago inspired me to vote for him. And not just vote for him but switch my support to him from someone else.

Maybe it's selfishness, but I'm not ready to say that my vote, for a reformer that was going to clean up Albany and transform NY, was a mistake. I genuinely believe that what the Governor did has stupid, arrogant, and foolish. Furthermore, it's extremely disappointed the level that Spitzer violated and broke the public's trust. The Governor's actions are exactly the reason why people do not vote and why most young people do not get involved in the process or have any respect for that process.

However, I will not cast judgement on the Governor because to be very honest despite his mistakes and mixed in with that disappointment, the inspiration that brought me to his camp is not gone. Which is why I will support Governor Spitzer if he decides to stay in office or if he choices to resign.

Sunday, March 09, 2008

I received a call on Thursday from a local Kingstonian that has decided to donate $500 to Kingston Public Access TV. The donor wants to remain anonymous and is a concerned resident of the 8th Ward in the City of Kingston. The generous donation was prompted after hearing "disappointing commentary" about funding KPA from Alderman Teetsel on Kingston Community Radio last week. I thank this donor for supporting Kingston Public Access!

The Kingston Parade went very well today, the weather cleared up and the sun came out. The KHS band did a fantastic job! I handed out flyers detailing ideas for the Kingston School Board and I would like to thank all the people that I had the opportunity to meet today.

Below as usual, is a list of the notables at the parade that I saw today...sorry if I missed anyone.

Saturday, March 08, 2008

The U.C. Young Democrats' kick off event was a huge success tonight! Over 70 people gathered at the Cabolossa in New Paltz and it was a really good time. I think Shannon Schreibman and all involved in organizing this event should be proud, it exceeded expectations.

Assemblyman Kevin Cahill, Dan Ahouse, Sue Zimet and Jonathan Sennett all did a great job speaking to the group and encouraging them to get involved. The amount of interest and involvement in this group is a real showing of the ability of the Democratic party to attract young voters into the process and this is just the beginning.

Assemblyman Cahill gives an enthusiastic speech to a group of Young Dems

Thursday, March 06, 2008

Consistently, Mr.Blaber demonstrates an eagerness to become a positive force for change on many fronts. His concern for his community and his willingness to work towards the common good are attributes that are increasingly absent in our population.

As a public official, I understand the long hours and personal sacrifice required to effectively serve in an elected capacity. I believe Jeremy Blaber exhibits the drive, energy and compassion such a role requires. I wish him the best in his endeavors.

I'm very proud to have the support of a public servant that I have a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for.

Assemblyman Marc Molinaro will be on my show tonight at 8:30pm. Assemblyman Molinaro will be talking about state issues and some of the issue that are going on in the Assembly. Make sure to call and tune in to what should be a great show!!!

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

With the new reval that was recently completed, all of Kingston's properties are available with the click of a mouse. Just log on to http://www.oarsystem.com/ny/kingston/main.asp and type in an address and the financial information on your property or that of your neighbors is available at your fingertips.

Hillary was 11 down and did the unthinkable and brought Obama's momentum to a screeching halt. While both Clinton and Obama both have a long way to go to capture their party's nomination, the voter's were clear that they want this race to continue. Winning Texas, Ohio and Rhode Island despite being outspent by millions of dollars show the strength of Hillary Clinton and her campaign.

This is a huge comeback for Hillary Clinton and i am confident now more than ever, Hillary will be our party's nominee.

I also want to point out that my predictions for the primary (found below) were 100%

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Why would Kingston lawmakers even consider bringing back to committee a law that would increase the quality of life for Kingstonians? It boggels my mind that a law that Alderwoman Ringwood has proposed that would ban smoking on City property is being brought back to committee..where it will die a long death...like the people who get cancer from breathing in second hand smoke in our parks.

The reason the committee sent the proposed law back to committee were due to questions on how to enforce the law. While I agree it will be hard to impose the $100 fine that has been set up if someone was caught smoking, but like Alderman Landi said it's symbolic and sends a message to the community. Furthermore, the majority of people that read a sign that says "no smoking", won't smoke!

Alderwoman Ringwood's tenure has focused heavily on improving the quality of life for residents of Kingston and it's a slap in the face to her legacy to pass this off because of questions of enforcement. It's the job of legislators to make laws that will benefit their constituents........ not to enforce them. The Common Council should pass this law and the enforcement will fall into place.

This is a great event happening this Friday in New Paltz, the young Dems of Ulster County is finally becoming a reality through the hard work of Shannon Schreibman, Alison Wilber, Jay Mahler and many other dedicated Democratic volunteers. Really an event worth checking out!!!-JKB

The Ulster County Young Dems kick off the hottest election in American history!

Mike Hein, Democratic candidate for Ulster County Executive, is alreadyliving up to his campaign slogan..."Leading the Way." Hein is launchinga cable TV ad blitz on CNN over the next three days to raise hisvisibility among fellow Democrats who will be tuned in to watch the presidentialprimary results from the Texas and Ohio."We need the right person with proven skills to lead Ulster County to a charter form of government in January 2009. The goal of the cable TV spots that will air locally is let voters know about my candidacy," saidHein.

Mike Hein has been Ulster County administrator for the past two years.Working in close collaboration with the County Legislature, Hein wasable to deliver the first administrator's budget that cut spending.Hudson Valley Business, a weekly business newspaper, recentlywrote:

"Hein's wizardry has resulted in more reforms than happened over the preceding 20years."

Hein, who announced his candidacy for the post of county executive lastDecember, has 18 years of business and financial experience in theprivate sector. Hudson Valley Business also said that Hein has delivered an"...enormous turnaround from the crisis the county found itself in twoyears ago."

I have day-to-day experience of being the chief budget officer for 300million dollar organization with 2,000 employees. Those are irrefutablecredentials. There will be no on-the-job training needed," said Hein.Hein was born and raised in Ulster County. "We have so much opportunityand promise ahead of us in Ulster County. I am ready to lead the way to amore efficient, cost-effective government. The cable TV spots are a signalthat I am in this race for the long haul," said Hein.

It was reported today in the Freeman (my bible) that Mayor Sottile is taking his personal vehicle out and plowing areas of the City of Kingston. Mayor Sottile says he feels it is not newsworthy. I disagree. It shows the level of dedication that our mayor has for Kingston and he is to be commended.

Sunday, March 02, 2008

Saturday Night Live opened tonight with a fake presidential debate hosted by mock Brian Williams and Tim Russert. Williams and Russert were bored by healthcare and were overly nice to Obama, while Amy Poehler, as Hillary Clinton, played mildly indignant. After the debate, instead of the opening credits, there was an "Editorial Response." The real Senator Clinton, seated at a desk and wearing the same brown tweed as Poehler's Clinton, said how she loved the skit and was happy to be back in New York, if only for a few hours. Then Amy Poehler, still in character as the senator, joined Clinton at the desk. They chatted, during which time Clinton asked Poehler if she really laughed like Poehler's Clinton and asked for her necklace back. The New York Senator then said, "Live from New York it's Saturday night!"

If Obama is the nominee I will support him 100 percent but if this Country does not elect Hillary Clinton as our next President then we're really being short changed.

Saturday, March 01, 2008

Citing the proposed state budget and economic indicators that signal a slowdown in consumer spending, Republicans in the county Legislature are calling for a hiring freeze that would leave vacant county positions open unless they are mandated by state or federal law.

A resolution proposed by Minority Leader Glenn Noonan and the GOP caucus also says any mandated positions that need to be filled should come before the Legislature a month ahead of time.Maybe Noonan and his caucus should of thought of these great money saving ideas when they were in the majority, proposing 39% tax hikes and spending millions of dollars on frivolous things like a new jail.This resolution is nothing more then political grandstanding. The GOP should stop with their posturing, Noonan can run for County Executive on his own time.